With and Without [Cara/Kahlan/Richard]
With and Without
It happens in Renwald. Renwald, the only place in the Midlands in which Confessor magic is completely ineffective within the city walls.
cara/kahlan/richard - nc-17
a/n: Goes AU at the end of Princess. Also: threesome.
For torigates who requested threesome fic. I hope this is threesome-y enough for you! EEP.
It happens in Renwald.
Renwald, the only place in the Midlands in which Confessor magic is completely ineffective within the city walls.
Richard shoots a furtive look toward the dimly lit inn nestled only a matter of feet from the Renwald city gates. “Nicci and her sisters could be out there in the woods, waiting for us to make our escape,” he says, trying to plead his case that they sleep within the city rather than strike it out into the dangerous woods in the middle of the night. “If we stay inside the walls, she can’t use her magic against us.”
“What about the Margrave?” Kahlan gestures back toward the far off silhouette of the castle. “Surely he’ll have someone out searching for us.”
Cara smirks at this. “The Margrave was, indisposed when I last left him. I do not think he will be any trouble before morning.”
Kahlan raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
“I am always sure,” she says cockily, her natural arrogance coming off as slightly absurd when paired with her frilly pink dress. Kahlan tries not to smile.
“We’re close to the gates here, so we can slip out if there are any problems,” Richard interjects, sensing that he is close to winning his way. Kahlan flicks Zedd a wordless look and he nods once in her direction.
“Alright,” she finally says. “I could use a bed tonight anyway.” Richard smiles winningly at her and tosses their coin purse to Zedd as they start to make their way to the quiet little inn.
They look like a circus troupe as they congregate at the front desk to pay for their rooms - two separate ones, each with only one bed. Richard’s hair is still streaked with blonde, and Zedd seems to be oddly comfortable in his woman’s dress. Kahlan is the only one of them not dressed completely bizarrely, but the state of her hair leaves her looking like the servant in tow of royalty. She pats at it self consciously as Zedd orders their dinner to be delivered to their rooms. Cara must notice because she steps up to the counter and orders a wash basin also be sent up. With hot water.
Kahlan could kiss her.
I could kiss her, Kahlan thinks to herself before she can censor her train of thought. Her cheeks flame privately as she becomes acutely aware of the emptiness inside of her where her Confessor magic usually resides. The empty space feels curiously warm and intriguing. She has never been in this kind of situation before.
Cara gives her a shove, jolting her from her train of thought. “Kahlan?” she asks annoyingly, like this isn’t the first time she’s called the brunette’s name. She’s dangling their room key from her middle finger.
“Oh, sorry,” she apologizes, taking the key and turning toward the stairs. Cara gives her a funny look before she starts up the crooked steps, but Kahlan ignores her as she watches Richard’s arm muscles bunch under the weight of both his pack and hers.
She suddenly feels warm all over.
“Mmmm,” Kahlan hums as she sinks further down into the basin of hot water in the middle of their room.
“Make sure you wash your hair,” Cara suggests, finishing up the last of her potato soup. “That dungeon wasn’t up to your usual standards.”
Kahlan pretends to be offended, but sees Cara try to hide a smile behind her spoon before she holds her breath and submerges herself completely beneath the water. The warmth of it stings her face, but she cannot bring herself to care. It feels so good not to be cold. When she finally comes back up for air, Cara has pushed her plate away and braced one leg against the small chest of drawers next to her, looking completely unladylike.
“Why Princess Cara,” Kahlan starts in a high pitched falsetto, “have you no manners?” She can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of her throat at the pointed look on the blonde’s face.
She lets her leg fall from its place on the chest and stands up, tugging at the skirts floating around her waist. “You’re hilarious.” She grabs for her pack, rummaging around as Kahlan watches.
“What are you looking for?” she asks curiously.
“My clothes. I’m taking off this ridiculous dress.” Cara is almost pouting.
“No don’t!” Kahlan blurts out before she even realizes what she’s saying. Cara stops digging around long enough to shoot her a look. “I like you in a dress,” she says, lips quirked up in a smile that is not altogether innocent.
Cara takes the opportunity to give Kahlan’s entire body a languid once over, the water only slightly obscuring her completely bare skin. Kahlan’s cheeks are flaming when Cara’s eyes finally rise to her face again. The look on the blonde’s face has gone predatory. “I’ll keep the dress on if you keep wearing that,” she offers.
“But I’m not wearing anything,” Kahlan says dumbly.
“I know.” Kahlan shivers at the implication. “Would you rather I go get Richard for you?” she asks, stalking closer to the tub. This conversation was headed full speed toward a destination that Kahlan didn’t know if she was ready to reach. Cara places her hands on the edge of the tub, looking Kahlan right in the eyes. “You know your magic has no effect here, right?”
“I know.” Kahlan swallows the lump in her throat, her eyes making her statement unnecessary when they jump down to the generous view Cara is affording her down the front of her dress. A span of endless minutes stretches between the two women, Kahlan unsure of what to do next, and Cara unwilling to be the one to make the first move. Finally Kahlan speaks. “Can you hand me the towel?” she asks.
Cara does so wordlessly, watching as Kahlan rises from the murky water and wraps herself in the rectangle of cloth. Cara steps forward to help her dry off. Her hands press against the cloth at Kahlan’s sides, rubbing away at the water underneath. Kahlan leans her head over the side of the tub, wringing the water out of her long hair while Cara rubs circles into the towel on her back in an attempt to rid her of the bath water. Kahlan shivers as Cara’s hands slide around to her stomach, and then the blonde is standing right in front of her, hands gently gripping her hips, staring hotly.
“I want you to kiss me,” Kahlan whispers, letting a finger trail across her lower lip.
Cara follows the motion with her eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” Cara nods and leans in, snaking a hand behind Kahlan’s ear to cup the side of her head, startlingly similar to the way Richard does. He flashes in her mind for the second before Cara’s lips take her own in a searing kiss, but then all she can think about is how hot Cara’s mouth is and how much she wants her to slide her tongue against her own.
Kahlan’s towel falls to the floor unnoticed after only a moment, and Cara’s hand follows it down as she tugs the brunette toward their bed.
Kahlan is laying flat on her back with Cara’s pink princess dress draped all over her naked body when the door to their bedroom flies open. Richard is in the middle of asking them jokingly if either would like to swap rooms and sleep with the Dowager Duchess Zeddicus when he freezes in his tracks. Kahlan squeaks at his unexpected intrusion, and Cara pops her head up from its place between Kahlan’s breasts to shoot Richard a look so fierce it makes him gulp out loud.
“What…” he starts, and then closes and opens his mouth wordlessly, completely unsure what to say or do.
Kahlan tries to help him along. “Shut the door Richard!” she yells frantically, weary of who might walk down the hallway and catch sight of what they are doing.
At this juncture, Richard has two choices. His cognitive faculties have been rendered completely useless from the sight on the bed before him, but his body chooses to move him farther into the room rather than out of it, shutting the door behind him as he does. He’s staring. Blatantly, flat out staring and Kahlan feels all the remaining blood in her body rush to her face. She isn’t even that exposed, Cara’s dress is almost covering her completely, but it is more than obvious that she is not wearing a stitch of clothing. And that Cara is currently on top of her, in an absurdly pink dress, doing wonderfully amazing things to her long denied body.
Cara sits up on her lap, effectively pinning her to the bed and exposing her chest at the same time. Kahlan moves to cover herself but Cara slides her a look that tells her not to. She resists the urge, her heart hammering at the gears she can practically see turning in Cara’s head.
“Richard,” Cara says, still looking at only Kahlan. “Why don’t you lock the door and join us?” Kahlan bites her lip and groans as she watches the predatory gleam in Cara’s eye make its way to where Richard is standing awkwardly by the door. She has no interest in protesting.
Kahlan and Cara lock eyes again as they both hear the loud click of the lock bolting into place. It sends a shock of adrenaline through her and she moans softly. Richard is at the side of the bed in three paces, and Kahlan finally finds the courage to turn her head in his direction. The look on his face is warm and inviting, albeit a bit apprehensive. This has always been so dangerous for them.
“Hey,” she says softly, watching the way his eyes struggle to stay on her face. He’s valiant as always though, and never even wavers. Kahlan can picture Cara rolling her eyes at his politeness.
“Hey.” He’s smiling now, smiling because he didn’t come to their room as much to get away from Zedd as to be near her, and this is something he didn’t even dare let himself hope for. The fact that Cara is there too actually feels more like a relief than a burden. They both care about the Mord Sith more than she will probably ever believe. It feels right that she should share this with them. Richard lets a finger trail down the side of Kahlan’s face, stopping to cup her cheek gently. “Is this okay?” He wants to be sure.
Instead of answering, Kahlan reaches a hand up to pull at the back of his neck, dragging him down into a kiss as heated as any they’ve ever shared. Richard is completely aware of Cara’s eyes on them as Kahlan opens her mouth against him and hums. It only makes him kiss her harder.
Cara perches atop Kahlan as she watches the two of them kiss. It’s nothing she hasn’t seen dozens of times, but up close like this she can see the slide of Kahlan’s tongue as it licks into Richard’s mouth, feel the way Kahlan squirms underneath her, arching softly for pressure she doesn’t even know she wants. Never one to watch for long, Cara dips down to press her lips against the hollow of Kahlan’s throat. She can feel Kahlan’s tongue bobbing through her tendons, imagines what havoc it’s wreaking in Richard’s body.
He needs to be closer.
Kahlan apparently has the same thought as she untangles her hand from Richard’s hair and wraps it around his back, pulling him all the way onto the bed. Her other hand slides into Cara’s hair to hold her against her neck, enjoying the sucking pressure the blonde is creating there. She feels warm and full and fuzzy and like she could melt right into the mattress beneath her. Either one of them alone is enough to drive Kahlan to distraction, to confession, but the two of them together assault her body and mind with more pleasure than she even thought possible. She doesn’t know how they’re going to come back from this.
Cara raises her head long enough to scoot herself further across the bed, dragging Kahlan with her and leaving enough room for Richard to be able to lie flat out on the other side. He toes off his boots and slides behind Kahlan, letting his open palm trail across her lower belly. Cara watches his fingers as he dips into Kahlan’s bellybutton, making the muscles just below the surface twitch.
Richard’s hair is still streaked with blonde, Cara is still wearing her princess dress, and Kahlan could not confess a person if she tried. It’s like an out of body experience for the three of them, like they are truly different people in this place. People who can crawl into bed together at the end of a day without worrying about magic or duty or someone trying to kill them at every turn. For those three people, this could be a life, could be an ordinary night.
It could be everything.
When Richard finally takes Kahlan, Cara is still wearing her pink dress. Her back is pushed up against the pillows at the head of the bed, knees spread wide and skirts bunched around her waist as Kahlan’s virtuous Confessor’s tongue flicks away between her thighs. Richard is behind her, gripping her naked hips with tense fingers. Kahlan stops licking when Richard slides in, blowing a harsh breath against the sensitive skin of Cara’s inner thighs. Richard stills, rubbing a hand up and down Kahlan’s spine as she starts to relax. Cara wants to see the look on her face more than anything in this moment, so she tugs Kahlan’s head up, holding it between her palms. Her eyes are unfocused, pupils blown, lips shiny and pink. Cara darts down, capturing Kahlan’s mouth, licking along her bottom lip. Kahlan groans as Richard thrusts forward at the sight before him.
“I think he likes to watch.” Kahlan laughs against her mouth and then pushes the blonde back against the pillows.
It’s a game of push and pull as Richard presses himself against Kahlan’s back, making her cry out between Cara’s tense thighs. Richard is still going a little bit slow, for her sake, Kahlan thinks, but Kahlan is determined to finish Cara off before she loses all ability to control her movements. Her long, slender fingers slide home as Cara arches off the bed and into her mouth, fisting a clump of Kahlan’s hair. Richard speeds up behind her as he watches Cara coiling, perched on the verge of bliss. It’s all over in a burst of pleasure as Kahlan pulls Cara’s clit into her mouth and sucks. She lets out a garbled string of syllables, limbs going rigid and then fluid as Kahlan keeps at her until she’s begging the Confessor to stop.
Kahlan finally relents as Richard shifts behind her, pulling her up so he can kiss her on the mouth. It’s an awkward angle with him behind her, but neither can stop for long enough to reposition themselves. As Richard drags a callused hand up to cup her breast, Kahlan feels the distinct rustle of fabric against the bare skin of her thighs. Before she can even open her eyes to peek, Cara slides three fingers between her legs, rubbing against all the places Richard can’t reach. Kahlan rips her mouth away from Richards, pulling in a gasping breath at the feeling of both of them touching her exactly where she wants to be touched. Cara is grinning and then Kahlan is lurching forward, catching Cara in a sloppy kiss. Their tongues duel as Richard lets out a needy grunt behind her. He reaches out suddenly, searching out a connection with Cara that is not through Kahlan’s body. He slides a hand into her hair, cupping her cheek and then the back of her head softly, feeling the two women in front of him kiss with furious abandon. He leans down, brushing the hair away from the nape of Kahlan’s neck, and drops a kiss there, sliding his tongue across her salty skin. He can see Cara’s arm moving swiftly between Kahlan’s legs, can feel Kahlan clenching tightly around him.
He is so, so close.
“Spirits Kahlan,” he groans into her ear. She breaks from Cara’s mouth, gulping in air as she arches her back flat against Richard’s chest. He holds her steady with an arm around her waist, panting into her ear as she grinds back against him, and then suddenly Cara is leaning forward, swiping her tongue right against Kahlan’s clit. Kahlan finds herself suddenly flying out of control, pressed tightly between the man she loves more than she ever thought possible and the woman she suspects has claimed the other half of her heart. She at least, clearly, has half of her body.
Kahlan loses track of everything as the nerve endings in her body all seem to ignite in one instant. She distantly feels Richard finish within her, feels Cara’s tongue doing wicked things between her legs, drawing out her pleasure for so long she thinks she might be dying. Dying or being reborn. When she finally gains control of her senses again, she’s flopped down on the bed, head pillowed on Cara’s chest, back flush against Richard. He’s trailing a finger down her bare arm as Cara takes deep breaths against her neck. She smiles happily.
“Mmm,” Cara moans as she lets her head fall back against a pillow. Her eyes rake over Kahlan’s face with a naked fondness Kahlan has never seen before. “Richard, you should see her face right now,” she remarks, trailing a finger across her smile.
Kahlan only grins wider as Richard slides a hand around her chin, tilting her face back toward him. “You’re glowing.” His smile is as wide as hers is.
“I wonder why?” Cara smirks as she rolls off the bed and onto her feet. Kahlan looks momentarily crushed at the loss of her body. “I am not sleeping in this dress,” Cara says by means of explanation as she tugs the dress down and off hard enough to rip it. As inch by inch of her golden skin is revealed, neither Kahlan nor Richard can wipe the stupid grins off their faces.
“If you insist.” Kahlan is positively leering.
Cara climbs back into the bed as naked as her unexpected lovers and pulls back the blanket. The three of them shimmy under it, the late hour and excitement of the day finally catching up to them. Kahlan leans over from her cozy place in between Richard and Cara and gives each of them a thorough kiss goodnight. Damp, warm skin is pressed against damp, warm skin as legs and arms tangle into a comfortable twist of limbs. The three are asleep in moments, clutched against each other in ways they would never dare to out in the woods.
Kahlan wakes up the next morning to the feeling of hands all over her. Large, rough hands and small, softer hands paw at her flesh, pulling soft groans of pleasure from her mouth before she is even conscious enough to know what is happening. Her eyes are still closed, a shaft of sunlight playing over her sleepy features as someone (Cara, she thinks) cups her pleasantly buzzing sex. There is a voice in her ear whispering in dulcet tones things she can’t quite grasp, and then two of Cara’s fingers are slipping their way inside of her, rubbing perfectly. She lets her head fall forward against Cara’s body and feels the blonde press a chaste kiss to her forehead as she twists her fingers wickedly. Kahlan looses a groan, and then Richard’s thicker fingers find their way around to her center, rubbing tightly against her clit. Having them both touch her like this, at the same time, sets her on fire, and she is shaking and breaking in hardly any time at all. It is very tempting to never open her eyes and acknowledge that morning has arrived, but she cannot help herself, knowing that Richard and Cara are so close. When she finally does crack a lid, the first thing she sees is Cara tugging Richard’s fingers toward her mouth. Kahlan squeezes her thighs together tightly as Cara slides his fingers inside of her wet mouth, licking them clean. She can feel Richard’s reaction behind her, pulsing against her back.
Cara is laughing as Kahlan pounces on her.
They are all late for breakfast and positively famished. Zedd watches them curiously as they all shovel down mouthfuls of eggs and biscuits in a manner that does not at all befit their stations. If he suspects anything, he knows well enough not to bring it up.
The sun is shining brightly as they step one by one through the Renwald city gates. Cara feels her agiels buzz to life in her belt and Kahlan feels her Confessor power resurface in her chest the second they are free from the spell. The feeling is at once a comfort and a burden, a reminder of what she might never have again. Everyone has returned to their normal state of dress. Cara left her princess dress stuffed into a drawer in their room and pulled on her leather like she was changing her skin. Richard washed the blonde out of his hair in the wash basin. Zedd donned his wizard robes. And Kahlan, Kahlan brushed her hair and pulled on her traveling dress, ready again to set off in defense of her Midlands.
It happens again three nights later.
Happens in an ordinary patch of woods, in an ordinary campsite, on an ordinary night. Kahlan’s magic is still present. Cara is wearing her red leather. Richard’s hair is flopping into his eyes. But it doesn’t actually make a difference.
Zedd is snoring away on the opposite side of the fire when Kahlan’s teeth start chattering. It’s unusually frigid, and her blankets are just not warming her like they usually do. Cara is scooting across the grassy earth before Kahlan even realizes what she’s doing. “Richard,” she whispers sharply, pulling her bedroll next to Kahlan’s.
His head pops up from the ground as he rubs the sleep out of his eyes. “Is something wrong?”
“Kahlan is cold,” she says, gesturing plainly to the shivering woman beside her.
“Oh.” He’s not quite sure what to make of Cara’s statement.
“Come over here,” she waves, rolling her eyes at his slow uptake. “Three bodies are warmer than one.”
The excuse of sharing body heat never seemed so perfect. Richard drags his bedroll and blanket on the other side of Kahlan’s in a second and throws his blanket so that it is covering them both. Kahlan smiles her thanks, and scoots closer to him as Cara slides in on her other side. Under the three blankets, pressed against two warm bodies, Kahlan finally stops shivering.
“Why have we not done this before?” Kahlan wonders aloud on a sigh as she presses her face into the crook of Richard’s neck and feels Cara press her entire front to her back. Their knees are even crooked against each other identically. Richard throws an arm around Kahlan; his long reach stretching out far enough so that his fingertips brush against Cara’s shoulder. If she notices, she doesn’t protest.
No one answers Kahlan’s question as they drift back off to sleep.
Maybe things weren’t so impossible after all.
It happens in Renwald. Renwald, the only place in the Midlands in which Confessor magic is completely ineffective within the city walls.
cara/kahlan/richard - nc-17
a/n: Goes AU at the end of Princess. Also: threesome.
For torigates who requested threesome fic. I hope this is threesome-y enough for you! EEP.
It happens in Renwald.
Renwald, the only place in the Midlands in which Confessor magic is completely ineffective within the city walls.
Richard shoots a furtive look toward the dimly lit inn nestled only a matter of feet from the Renwald city gates. “Nicci and her sisters could be out there in the woods, waiting for us to make our escape,” he says, trying to plead his case that they sleep within the city rather than strike it out into the dangerous woods in the middle of the night. “If we stay inside the walls, she can’t use her magic against us.”
“What about the Margrave?” Kahlan gestures back toward the far off silhouette of the castle. “Surely he’ll have someone out searching for us.”
Cara smirks at this. “The Margrave was, indisposed when I last left him. I do not think he will be any trouble before morning.”
Kahlan raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
“I am always sure,” she says cockily, her natural arrogance coming off as slightly absurd when paired with her frilly pink dress. Kahlan tries not to smile.
“We’re close to the gates here, so we can slip out if there are any problems,” Richard interjects, sensing that he is close to winning his way. Kahlan flicks Zedd a wordless look and he nods once in her direction.
“Alright,” she finally says. “I could use a bed tonight anyway.” Richard smiles winningly at her and tosses their coin purse to Zedd as they start to make their way to the quiet little inn.
They look like a circus troupe as they congregate at the front desk to pay for their rooms - two separate ones, each with only one bed. Richard’s hair is still streaked with blonde, and Zedd seems to be oddly comfortable in his woman’s dress. Kahlan is the only one of them not dressed completely bizarrely, but the state of her hair leaves her looking like the servant in tow of royalty. She pats at it self consciously as Zedd orders their dinner to be delivered to their rooms. Cara must notice because she steps up to the counter and orders a wash basin also be sent up. With hot water.
Kahlan could kiss her.
I could kiss her, Kahlan thinks to herself before she can censor her train of thought. Her cheeks flame privately as she becomes acutely aware of the emptiness inside of her where her Confessor magic usually resides. The empty space feels curiously warm and intriguing. She has never been in this kind of situation before.
Cara gives her a shove, jolting her from her train of thought. “Kahlan?” she asks annoyingly, like this isn’t the first time she’s called the brunette’s name. She’s dangling their room key from her middle finger.
“Oh, sorry,” she apologizes, taking the key and turning toward the stairs. Cara gives her a funny look before she starts up the crooked steps, but Kahlan ignores her as she watches Richard’s arm muscles bunch under the weight of both his pack and hers.
She suddenly feels warm all over.
“Mmmm,” Kahlan hums as she sinks further down into the basin of hot water in the middle of their room.
“Make sure you wash your hair,” Cara suggests, finishing up the last of her potato soup. “That dungeon wasn’t up to your usual standards.”
Kahlan pretends to be offended, but sees Cara try to hide a smile behind her spoon before she holds her breath and submerges herself completely beneath the water. The warmth of it stings her face, but she cannot bring herself to care. It feels so good not to be cold. When she finally comes back up for air, Cara has pushed her plate away and braced one leg against the small chest of drawers next to her, looking completely unladylike.
“Why Princess Cara,” Kahlan starts in a high pitched falsetto, “have you no manners?” She can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of her throat at the pointed look on the blonde’s face.
She lets her leg fall from its place on the chest and stands up, tugging at the skirts floating around her waist. “You’re hilarious.” She grabs for her pack, rummaging around as Kahlan watches.
“What are you looking for?” she asks curiously.
“My clothes. I’m taking off this ridiculous dress.” Cara is almost pouting.
“No don’t!” Kahlan blurts out before she even realizes what she’s saying. Cara stops digging around long enough to shoot her a look. “I like you in a dress,” she says, lips quirked up in a smile that is not altogether innocent.
Cara takes the opportunity to give Kahlan’s entire body a languid once over, the water only slightly obscuring her completely bare skin. Kahlan’s cheeks are flaming when Cara’s eyes finally rise to her face again. The look on the blonde’s face has gone predatory. “I’ll keep the dress on if you keep wearing that,” she offers.
“But I’m not wearing anything,” Kahlan says dumbly.
“I know.” Kahlan shivers at the implication. “Would you rather I go get Richard for you?” she asks, stalking closer to the tub. This conversation was headed full speed toward a destination that Kahlan didn’t know if she was ready to reach. Cara places her hands on the edge of the tub, looking Kahlan right in the eyes. “You know your magic has no effect here, right?”
“I know.” Kahlan swallows the lump in her throat, her eyes making her statement unnecessary when they jump down to the generous view Cara is affording her down the front of her dress. A span of endless minutes stretches between the two women, Kahlan unsure of what to do next, and Cara unwilling to be the one to make the first move. Finally Kahlan speaks. “Can you hand me the towel?” she asks.
Cara does so wordlessly, watching as Kahlan rises from the murky water and wraps herself in the rectangle of cloth. Cara steps forward to help her dry off. Her hands press against the cloth at Kahlan’s sides, rubbing away at the water underneath. Kahlan leans her head over the side of the tub, wringing the water out of her long hair while Cara rubs circles into the towel on her back in an attempt to rid her of the bath water. Kahlan shivers as Cara’s hands slide around to her stomach, and then the blonde is standing right in front of her, hands gently gripping her hips, staring hotly.
“I want you to kiss me,” Kahlan whispers, letting a finger trail across her lower lip.
Cara follows the motion with her eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” Cara nods and leans in, snaking a hand behind Kahlan’s ear to cup the side of her head, startlingly similar to the way Richard does. He flashes in her mind for the second before Cara’s lips take her own in a searing kiss, but then all she can think about is how hot Cara’s mouth is and how much she wants her to slide her tongue against her own.
Kahlan’s towel falls to the floor unnoticed after only a moment, and Cara’s hand follows it down as she tugs the brunette toward their bed.
Kahlan is laying flat on her back with Cara’s pink princess dress draped all over her naked body when the door to their bedroom flies open. Richard is in the middle of asking them jokingly if either would like to swap rooms and sleep with the Dowager Duchess Zeddicus when he freezes in his tracks. Kahlan squeaks at his unexpected intrusion, and Cara pops her head up from its place between Kahlan’s breasts to shoot Richard a look so fierce it makes him gulp out loud.
“What…” he starts, and then closes and opens his mouth wordlessly, completely unsure what to say or do.
Kahlan tries to help him along. “Shut the door Richard!” she yells frantically, weary of who might walk down the hallway and catch sight of what they are doing.
At this juncture, Richard has two choices. His cognitive faculties have been rendered completely useless from the sight on the bed before him, but his body chooses to move him farther into the room rather than out of it, shutting the door behind him as he does. He’s staring. Blatantly, flat out staring and Kahlan feels all the remaining blood in her body rush to her face. She isn’t even that exposed, Cara’s dress is almost covering her completely, but it is more than obvious that she is not wearing a stitch of clothing. And that Cara is currently on top of her, in an absurdly pink dress, doing wonderfully amazing things to her long denied body.
Cara sits up on her lap, effectively pinning her to the bed and exposing her chest at the same time. Kahlan moves to cover herself but Cara slides her a look that tells her not to. She resists the urge, her heart hammering at the gears she can practically see turning in Cara’s head.
“Richard,” Cara says, still looking at only Kahlan. “Why don’t you lock the door and join us?” Kahlan bites her lip and groans as she watches the predatory gleam in Cara’s eye make its way to where Richard is standing awkwardly by the door. She has no interest in protesting.
Kahlan and Cara lock eyes again as they both hear the loud click of the lock bolting into place. It sends a shock of adrenaline through her and she moans softly. Richard is at the side of the bed in three paces, and Kahlan finally finds the courage to turn her head in his direction. The look on his face is warm and inviting, albeit a bit apprehensive. This has always been so dangerous for them.
“Hey,” she says softly, watching the way his eyes struggle to stay on her face. He’s valiant as always though, and never even wavers. Kahlan can picture Cara rolling her eyes at his politeness.
“Hey.” He’s smiling now, smiling because he didn’t come to their room as much to get away from Zedd as to be near her, and this is something he didn’t even dare let himself hope for. The fact that Cara is there too actually feels more like a relief than a burden. They both care about the Mord Sith more than she will probably ever believe. It feels right that she should share this with them. Richard lets a finger trail down the side of Kahlan’s face, stopping to cup her cheek gently. “Is this okay?” He wants to be sure.
Instead of answering, Kahlan reaches a hand up to pull at the back of his neck, dragging him down into a kiss as heated as any they’ve ever shared. Richard is completely aware of Cara’s eyes on them as Kahlan opens her mouth against him and hums. It only makes him kiss her harder.
Cara perches atop Kahlan as she watches the two of them kiss. It’s nothing she hasn’t seen dozens of times, but up close like this she can see the slide of Kahlan’s tongue as it licks into Richard’s mouth, feel the way Kahlan squirms underneath her, arching softly for pressure she doesn’t even know she wants. Never one to watch for long, Cara dips down to press her lips against the hollow of Kahlan’s throat. She can feel Kahlan’s tongue bobbing through her tendons, imagines what havoc it’s wreaking in Richard’s body.
He needs to be closer.
Kahlan apparently has the same thought as she untangles her hand from Richard’s hair and wraps it around his back, pulling him all the way onto the bed. Her other hand slides into Cara’s hair to hold her against her neck, enjoying the sucking pressure the blonde is creating there. She feels warm and full and fuzzy and like she could melt right into the mattress beneath her. Either one of them alone is enough to drive Kahlan to distraction, to confession, but the two of them together assault her body and mind with more pleasure than she even thought possible. She doesn’t know how they’re going to come back from this.
Cara raises her head long enough to scoot herself further across the bed, dragging Kahlan with her and leaving enough room for Richard to be able to lie flat out on the other side. He toes off his boots and slides behind Kahlan, letting his open palm trail across her lower belly. Cara watches his fingers as he dips into Kahlan’s bellybutton, making the muscles just below the surface twitch.
Richard’s hair is still streaked with blonde, Cara is still wearing her princess dress, and Kahlan could not confess a person if she tried. It’s like an out of body experience for the three of them, like they are truly different people in this place. People who can crawl into bed together at the end of a day without worrying about magic or duty or someone trying to kill them at every turn. For those three people, this could be a life, could be an ordinary night.
It could be everything.
When Richard finally takes Kahlan, Cara is still wearing her pink dress. Her back is pushed up against the pillows at the head of the bed, knees spread wide and skirts bunched around her waist as Kahlan’s virtuous Confessor’s tongue flicks away between her thighs. Richard is behind her, gripping her naked hips with tense fingers. Kahlan stops licking when Richard slides in, blowing a harsh breath against the sensitive skin of Cara’s inner thighs. Richard stills, rubbing a hand up and down Kahlan’s spine as she starts to relax. Cara wants to see the look on her face more than anything in this moment, so she tugs Kahlan’s head up, holding it between her palms. Her eyes are unfocused, pupils blown, lips shiny and pink. Cara darts down, capturing Kahlan’s mouth, licking along her bottom lip. Kahlan groans as Richard thrusts forward at the sight before him.
“I think he likes to watch.” Kahlan laughs against her mouth and then pushes the blonde back against the pillows.
It’s a game of push and pull as Richard presses himself against Kahlan’s back, making her cry out between Cara’s tense thighs. Richard is still going a little bit slow, for her sake, Kahlan thinks, but Kahlan is determined to finish Cara off before she loses all ability to control her movements. Her long, slender fingers slide home as Cara arches off the bed and into her mouth, fisting a clump of Kahlan’s hair. Richard speeds up behind her as he watches Cara coiling, perched on the verge of bliss. It’s all over in a burst of pleasure as Kahlan pulls Cara’s clit into her mouth and sucks. She lets out a garbled string of syllables, limbs going rigid and then fluid as Kahlan keeps at her until she’s begging the Confessor to stop.
Kahlan finally relents as Richard shifts behind her, pulling her up so he can kiss her on the mouth. It’s an awkward angle with him behind her, but neither can stop for long enough to reposition themselves. As Richard drags a callused hand up to cup her breast, Kahlan feels the distinct rustle of fabric against the bare skin of her thighs. Before she can even open her eyes to peek, Cara slides three fingers between her legs, rubbing against all the places Richard can’t reach. Kahlan rips her mouth away from Richards, pulling in a gasping breath at the feeling of both of them touching her exactly where she wants to be touched. Cara is grinning and then Kahlan is lurching forward, catching Cara in a sloppy kiss. Their tongues duel as Richard lets out a needy grunt behind her. He reaches out suddenly, searching out a connection with Cara that is not through Kahlan’s body. He slides a hand into her hair, cupping her cheek and then the back of her head softly, feeling the two women in front of him kiss with furious abandon. He leans down, brushing the hair away from the nape of Kahlan’s neck, and drops a kiss there, sliding his tongue across her salty skin. He can see Cara’s arm moving swiftly between Kahlan’s legs, can feel Kahlan clenching tightly around him.
He is so, so close.
“Spirits Kahlan,” he groans into her ear. She breaks from Cara’s mouth, gulping in air as she arches her back flat against Richard’s chest. He holds her steady with an arm around her waist, panting into her ear as she grinds back against him, and then suddenly Cara is leaning forward, swiping her tongue right against Kahlan’s clit. Kahlan finds herself suddenly flying out of control, pressed tightly between the man she loves more than she ever thought possible and the woman she suspects has claimed the other half of her heart. She at least, clearly, has half of her body.
Kahlan loses track of everything as the nerve endings in her body all seem to ignite in one instant. She distantly feels Richard finish within her, feels Cara’s tongue doing wicked things between her legs, drawing out her pleasure for so long she thinks she might be dying. Dying or being reborn. When she finally gains control of her senses again, she’s flopped down on the bed, head pillowed on Cara’s chest, back flush against Richard. He’s trailing a finger down her bare arm as Cara takes deep breaths against her neck. She smiles happily.
“Mmm,” Cara moans as she lets her head fall back against a pillow. Her eyes rake over Kahlan’s face with a naked fondness Kahlan has never seen before. “Richard, you should see her face right now,” she remarks, trailing a finger across her smile.
Kahlan only grins wider as Richard slides a hand around her chin, tilting her face back toward him. “You’re glowing.” His smile is as wide as hers is.
“I wonder why?” Cara smirks as she rolls off the bed and onto her feet. Kahlan looks momentarily crushed at the loss of her body. “I am not sleeping in this dress,” Cara says by means of explanation as she tugs the dress down and off hard enough to rip it. As inch by inch of her golden skin is revealed, neither Kahlan nor Richard can wipe the stupid grins off their faces.
“If you insist.” Kahlan is positively leering.
Cara climbs back into the bed as naked as her unexpected lovers and pulls back the blanket. The three of them shimmy under it, the late hour and excitement of the day finally catching up to them. Kahlan leans over from her cozy place in between Richard and Cara and gives each of them a thorough kiss goodnight. Damp, warm skin is pressed against damp, warm skin as legs and arms tangle into a comfortable twist of limbs. The three are asleep in moments, clutched against each other in ways they would never dare to out in the woods.
Kahlan wakes up the next morning to the feeling of hands all over her. Large, rough hands and small, softer hands paw at her flesh, pulling soft groans of pleasure from her mouth before she is even conscious enough to know what is happening. Her eyes are still closed, a shaft of sunlight playing over her sleepy features as someone (Cara, she thinks) cups her pleasantly buzzing sex. There is a voice in her ear whispering in dulcet tones things she can’t quite grasp, and then two of Cara’s fingers are slipping their way inside of her, rubbing perfectly. She lets her head fall forward against Cara’s body and feels the blonde press a chaste kiss to her forehead as she twists her fingers wickedly. Kahlan looses a groan, and then Richard’s thicker fingers find their way around to her center, rubbing tightly against her clit. Having them both touch her like this, at the same time, sets her on fire, and she is shaking and breaking in hardly any time at all. It is very tempting to never open her eyes and acknowledge that morning has arrived, but she cannot help herself, knowing that Richard and Cara are so close. When she finally does crack a lid, the first thing she sees is Cara tugging Richard’s fingers toward her mouth. Kahlan squeezes her thighs together tightly as Cara slides his fingers inside of her wet mouth, licking them clean. She can feel Richard’s reaction behind her, pulsing against her back.
Cara is laughing as Kahlan pounces on her.
They are all late for breakfast and positively famished. Zedd watches them curiously as they all shovel down mouthfuls of eggs and biscuits in a manner that does not at all befit their stations. If he suspects anything, he knows well enough not to bring it up.
The sun is shining brightly as they step one by one through the Renwald city gates. Cara feels her agiels buzz to life in her belt and Kahlan feels her Confessor power resurface in her chest the second they are free from the spell. The feeling is at once a comfort and a burden, a reminder of what she might never have again. Everyone has returned to their normal state of dress. Cara left her princess dress stuffed into a drawer in their room and pulled on her leather like she was changing her skin. Richard washed the blonde out of his hair in the wash basin. Zedd donned his wizard robes. And Kahlan, Kahlan brushed her hair and pulled on her traveling dress, ready again to set off in defense of her Midlands.
It happens again three nights later.
Happens in an ordinary patch of woods, in an ordinary campsite, on an ordinary night. Kahlan’s magic is still present. Cara is wearing her red leather. Richard’s hair is flopping into his eyes. But it doesn’t actually make a difference.
Zedd is snoring away on the opposite side of the fire when Kahlan’s teeth start chattering. It’s unusually frigid, and her blankets are just not warming her like they usually do. Cara is scooting across the grassy earth before Kahlan even realizes what she’s doing. “Richard,” she whispers sharply, pulling her bedroll next to Kahlan’s.
His head pops up from the ground as he rubs the sleep out of his eyes. “Is something wrong?”
“Kahlan is cold,” she says, gesturing plainly to the shivering woman beside her.
“Oh.” He’s not quite sure what to make of Cara’s statement.
“Come over here,” she waves, rolling her eyes at his slow uptake. “Three bodies are warmer than one.”
The excuse of sharing body heat never seemed so perfect. Richard drags his bedroll and blanket on the other side of Kahlan’s in a second and throws his blanket so that it is covering them both. Kahlan smiles her thanks, and scoots closer to him as Cara slides in on her other side. Under the three blankets, pressed against two warm bodies, Kahlan finally stops shivering.
“Why have we not done this before?” Kahlan wonders aloud on a sigh as she presses her face into the crook of Richard’s neck and feels Cara press her entire front to her back. Their knees are even crooked against each other identically. Richard throws an arm around Kahlan; his long reach stretching out far enough so that his fingertips brush against Cara’s shoulder. If she notices, she doesn’t protest.
No one answers Kahlan’s question as they drift back off to sleep.
Maybe things weren’t so impossible after all.